No one is invincible, and odds are that you may one day find yourself red-faced and reeling after your first motorcycle accident. However, there is no reason to be too embarrassed, after all, it happens to the best of us. If you come out alive and in one piece, then you’ve already succeeded where many others have failed.
Next comes the “now what” part of handling a motorcycle accident. This part is simple if you follow this 7-step guide:
1. Remain calm. This is no time to pick a fight (even if you feel it’s called-for). Whether you’re a victim or at fault, freaking out will only make things worse.
2. Move the motorcycle (or pieces of motorcycle) to a safe area, such as the shoulder of the road.
3. Check to see if who is involved and if anyone is hurt. Immediately call 911 if somebody has been injured. Even seemingly minor aches and dizziness could be a sign of something more serious.
4. Call the police. This will provide an objective report to prove who, if anyone, is truly responsible for the crash. If the police can’t make it to the scene, then file an accident report through your state’s DMV.
5. Exchange Info. You will need to get all the information necessary to file a report with your insurance company. Likewise, the other driver will need to have all of your information for their insurance company. This includes:
Driver and passenger names
License plate numbers
Insurance info
Makes and models of all the vehicles involved
Contact info for any eyewitnesses
Location of the accident
Name and badge number of responding officers
6. Document the Scene. Snap some pictures with your phone or camera. They will come in handy during the claims process.
7. File your insurance claim.